Bernard Michel graduated in engineering from the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris, France in 1960. He has subsequently had a distinguished career in engineering and management in the mining and the nuclear industry in both Europe and North America. Bernard Michel has recently (March 21, 2003) retired as chair and CEO of Cameco Corporation, the world’s largest uranium supplier. Mr Michel played a leadership role in the growth and development of Cameco into a Canadian blue chip company, and is respected nationally and internationally for his management skills and business acumen. He is frequently invited to speak at international gatherings of the nuclear industry, and is a forceful advocate of Saskatchewan’s mining industry and of Canada’s nuclear technology in these fora and in media interviews worldwide. Under his leadership, Cameco has been a significant supporter of education at all levels for Saskatchewan’s northern residents, with particular interest in promoting education for Aboriginal students. To honour his personal and professional commitment to this objective, Cameco has recently established the Bernard Michel scholarship for Saskatchewan aboriginal students. In addition, the University of Saskatchewan has been a significant beneficiary of funds to support remedial programs for northern students entering engineering and science fields (CAPES); support of a scholarship for women in geological sciences; and provision of equipment for new state of the art geological laboratories. In 1995, the company established a Cameco Chair in aqueous and environmental geochemistry, headed currently by Dr. Jim Hendry. Mr. Michel was awarded the French Order of the Legion d’Honneur, in the rank of Chevalier, in 1998. He was a long-time member of the board of directors and executive committee of the Canadian Nuclear Association, and still serves on the board of directors of Ipsco Inc., and the Canadian Light Source Inc. Mr. Michel, in a quiet and unassuming manner, has been a sincere friend of the University of Saskatchewan, a stalwart supporter of the province and an excellent ambassador of the Canadian mining and nuclear industry. In the words of Rita Mirwald, Senior Vice-President Human Resources and Corporate Relations at Cameco, “Should Mr. Michel be fortunate enough to be selected for this honor [an honorary degree], it would provide a most fitting capstone to his distinguished professional career in the Canadian mining industry and an acknowledgement of his steadfast dedication to furthering the interests of the province”.